Tailteann Cup R2A: Offaly surprise Down

Tailteann Cup Round 2A

Offaly 3-22 Down 1-20

By Kevin Egan at Glenisk O'Connor Park

The value of taking your chances was in full view in Glenisk O'Connor Park where Offaly emerged victorious in a shootout battle with Down, prevailing by eight points thanks to their vastly superior conversion rate in front of the posts.

The wide count of 11 for Down and five for the home side only tells a fraction of the story, as it was when it came to finishing goals and when converting two-pointers that Offaly showed a ruthless edge.

Dylan Hyland’s penalty was composed on a sensational evening for the Raheen sharpshooter, Shane Tierney produced a gorgeous dinked finish past Ronan Burns for his goal, and Offaly’s luck was definitely in for the clinching third goal late on, when Daire McDaid put what should have been a straightforward point chance off the post. Once the rebound fell to Diarmuid Egan, the defender hammered the ball inside the near post to confirm the win.

Kyle Higgins had a goal chance blocked while Hyland and Tierney were denied by a superb Down double save late in the first half, but at the other end it was a tale of woe in front of the net for Down.

Conor Laverty’s side used their movement and pace well to open up the Offaly defence and set up Pearse McPolin for an emphatic finish to the net in the ninth minute, but from then on it all went haywire in goalscoring situations.

Tom Close had a punched effort cleared off the line, McPolin tried to get a fingertip touch on a floated handpass at the far post but didn’t quite get there, Caolan Mooney was one-on-one with Conor Melia and hit wide early in the second half, Odhran Murdock blasted one wide just as the goal was opening up for him and Pat Havern hit the crossbar late in the game.

Based on their ability to create chances, Down will still be a team that everyone will want to avoid in Monday’s draw for round three, but Offaly are right back in the conversation as potential competition winners now after backing up their superb away win against Clare last time out.

Their efficiency for the opening half hour was off the charts, with 2-12 on the board before they hit a wide. Hyland, Jordan Hayes and Keith O’Neill rained over two-point chances from distance, Hyland converted the penalty that was awarded for Cormac Egan getting bundled over as he drove through on goal, while O’Neill did well to set up Tierney’s clever finish.

The 25 minutes either side of half-time saw Down take over, turning a 2-12 to 1-6 deficit into a level game as they outscored Offaly by 0-12 to 0-3.

Ronan Burns stroked over a free from outside the arc just before half time with Havern on target from play after the turnaround, but it was Down’s strength and power under the kickout and their slick running game that really powered their revival.

Eamon Brown and John McGeough both pointed shortly after coming off the bench to underline their depth, and while Offaly didn’t have many wides, they did miss the target with three glorious chances from inside 25 metres.

Crucially, they weren’t punished, and Dylan Hyland carried them back into a commanding lead with some exceptional shooting, including two outside-of-the-boot strikes from distance and a free kick from just inside the sideline, all into the breeze.

Any one of Down’s goal chances could have shifted the game’s momentum, as indeed could have a couple of orange flag efforts, but instead they couldn’t hit the target and were sucker-punched into defeat by Diarmuid Egan’s late strike.

Scorers for Offaly: Dylan Hyland 1-11 (1-0 pen, 3tp, 2fs), Shane Tierney 1-3, Jordan Hayes 0-5 (2tp), Keith O’Neill 0-3 (1tp), Diarmuid Egan 1-0.

Scorers for Down: Pat Havern 0-5 (1tp, 3fs), Pearse McPolin 1-0, Ronan Burns 0-3 (1tpf, 0-1 45), Shane Annett 0-2, Ceilum Doherty 0-2, Tom Close 0-2, Caolan Mooney 0-1, Daniel Guinness 0-1, Ryan Magill 0-1, Callum Rogers 0-1, John McGeough 0-1, Eamon Brown 0-1.

Offaly: Conor Melia; Shane O’Toole Greene, David Dempsey, Lee Pearson; Marcas Dalton, Cormac Egan, Diarmuid Egan; Jack McEvoy, Jordan Hayes; Kyle Higgins, Nathan Poland, Aaron Leavy; Keith O’Neill, Shane Tierney, Dylan Hyland.

Subs: Harry Plunkett for Poland (41), Rory Egan for Higgins (55), Daire McDaid for Dalton (57), Jack Bryant for Tierney (57), Cathal Ryan for C Egan (63).

Down: Ronan Burns; Callum Rogers, Peter Feganm Finn McElroy; Ryan Magill, Pearse McPolin, Pierce Laverty; Odhran Murdock, Tom Close; Miceal Rooney, Ceilum Doherty, Daniel Guinness; Caolan Mooney, Pat Havern, Shane Annett.

Subs: Ruairí McCormack for McPolin (half-time), Patrick Brooks for McElroy (46), John McGeough for Close (48), Eamon Brown for Rooney (53), Barry O’Hagan for Magill (57).

Referee: Conor Lane (Cork).